Prophecy of Zebra's Kin
by Sivilian
Summary: "Quailflight! Did you feed Denscratch deadly nightshade berries in his time of sickness?" The leader demanded to know. "Yes." "Quailflight, you are no longer apart of this clan." The tom raced across the moors as warriors pursued him fueled by anger and disgust.
1. ------

The cool night began to replace the warm day. The she-cat stepped carefully atop the mound of sandy earth. Each paw's step calculated into a perfect sequence. The rising moon cast a sad glimmer on the imperfect coat. A silencing breeze swept through the camp, sending specks of dust swirling in the night sky.

Her eyes were bright with the stars. Pupils full, she cleared her throat. "Let all Windclan cats gather by the sand hill." Leaves skittered across the earth, blown from the forest, summoning sleeping cats to consciousness.

Queens nudged their kits forward. Apprentices wound their way through the gorse and grass. Warriors traversed over scraggly rocks and loose earth. Elders walked with frail paws. The two medicine cats with matching expressions joined their leader. The deputy was by her side.

The leader clutched the cool earth in her claws. Tonight would lead example for many moons. ''Quailflight! Step forward and present yourself to the clan for all to see."

The medicine cat tom, whose age was more than that of twice his leader and apprentice, with puzzled paws, fumbled over to stand in front of his leader. His leader that he despised. His brown fur with a flecked flank was dull compared to the she-cat's shining pelt. He remained silent, for he did not know what the she-cat was doing. Murmurs of confusion spread through the cats gathered like dust on a windy night.

"Quailflight, did you mate with an unwilling warrior during your current medicine catship?" The leader demanded him an answer with furious blue eyes. She remained looking calm and composed, but her voice was like thunder and her eyes were like river.

A dark shadow filled the tom's face. The clouds in the sky swirled angrily. The light of the moon and stars disappeared. In a hoarse whisper he spoke, "Yes."

"Tell this to your clan!"

He turned to the cats who wore faces of confusion, betrayal, horrificness, and sadness. "Yes." The single word rang through the air and hung until the leader spoke once more.

"Quailflight! Did you feed deadly nightshade berries to Denscratch in his time of sickness?" The leader demanded.

"Yes."

Gasps and hatred ruffled the clan's fur. Denscratch, a warrior who embraced the Warrior Code more than any clan cat, had been murdered by a cat of his clan when he fell victim to a damaged body. Descratch, a father who never left the nursery until his kits became apprentices. Denscratch, a tom who led a life of three names, two homes and one heart. Denscratch, the father to the Windclan leader.

"Quailflight, you are no longer apart of this clan. If you are seen any where on our territory, you will be treated as an enemy!" The she-cat remained stoic as the former Windclan medicine cat ran out of the camp. His tail rippling in fright as he heard warriors pursuing him.

"Zebrastar," Honeysting padded up to her sister. "What do you mean?"


	2. Chapter 1

In the cover of gorse, the moon illuminated the two she-cat's fur. The dark blue of the sky was heavy with puffs of clouds. The medicine she-cat, puzzled by her mentor's exile, gazed into her sister's bright blue eyes. The leader brushed her right paw over her sister's shoulder. A whispers and sniffles could be heard from the nearby clanmates.

"Honeysting," Zebrastar looked down to the dusty earth. "we have different fathers."

The brown she-cat flinched. The spiky gorse caught in her fur as she tried to escape this weird reality. The white cat with black stripes shook her head. Honeysting stopped fidgeting. But the brambles didn't stop shaking.

"When Specklefrost met Denscratch," the leader began to pull the needles out of her sister's fur, "They, well, you know. Soon after, she was attacked by a Twoleg's dog." Zebrastar sighed. "Quailflight mated her when he was supposed to be treating her injuries."

Honeysting gasped. How could her mentor do that? He was always a grumpy old tom, but why? Her yellow eyes dulled with hatred for this cat. The stars and moon tried to reach her and comfort her, but no Starclan cat come forward. The striped leader, not tabby, rested her chin on the other cat's shoulder.

"Sister,this is why you look like Quailflight." Zebrastar frowned at the sky, trying not to meet her sister's stare.

"So it was not fate that made me look like him?" She laughed with hints of grief.

The leader tried to smile for her, but she couldn't.

The two she-cats brushed against the gorse and joined the group of confused cats. Specklefrost, their mother, wept for Denscratch. His death was murder, not fatal wounds.

"I have one more announcement." Zebrastar padded to the top of the small sandy hill, the night breeze brushed her ruffled fur back into place. "I am going to kit in less than a moon."

The cats looked up to their leader with twinkling eyes. Her mother bounded up to her and smuthered her with love. Her clan gave hoots of congratulations to her and her mate and to the unborn kits.

"If only your father was here." The mother smiled, her cyan eyes meeting her daughter's.

"Mathias, Denmarkflare, Denscratch." Zebrastar repeated the three names her father had lived by. Mathias, a name he was given during his life as a kittypet. Denmarkflare, the ridiculous name he chose for himself as he joined Windclan. Denscratch, a true warrior name that their former leader renamed him after many moons of loyalty.

Zebrastar's mate had huge eyes. He had no idea his mate was going to kit soon. Honeysting giggled. She and her sister were going to keep it a secret. But tonight devastated the clan, so it was perfect to bear the good news. Her belly was hardly bigger than it was three moons ago, which made it easy to keep it a surprise.

The clan, who had been angry and shocked, were sharing kindness and love with each other in the new expectance of kits. Their deputy would be leading the clan for the next moons until she was ready to leave the nursery. Zebrastar's mate led her to the nursery.

His eyes were glowing with pride and love. His tail was rippling with excitement. The thick cover of bramble and gorse protected the new queen from the wind.

"Oh, what will we name them?" He asked her, his gaze drowning in the beautiful sea of blue.

"Why don't we wait until th-"

"Oh! Maybe Stripekit, or Denkit (in honor of your father), or Zebrakit (in honor of their beautiful mother)! Or maybe named after me. Then they'd be named"

"Stop." Zebrastar chuckled. "Let's wait until they're born."

Her mate nodded in agreement.

Her deputy padded into the tiny gorse covered clearing. "Congrats, you two." He smiled. ''Zebrastar, I am going to send a midnight patrol to make sure that fox-dung Quailflight isn't still on the territory."

"Wonderful. Thank you." Zebrastar nodded. He turned to leave but she beckoned him closer. In a soft whisper she gave him a single order, "if you see him, kill him."

The deputy nodded. He knew his leader was not bloodthirsty. In fact, most of Windclan wanted him dead. But Quailflight wasn't stupid enough to be found on Wind clan territory.

-.-.-.-.-.

The queen and mate snuggled closely together. The season of new-leaf brought moist air that collected on their fur. The leader's mate watched the water dazzle in the starlight. The clouds seemed to blow away as the stars replaced them. He rested his head down, and soon they were both in a sweet sleep.

-.-.-.-.-.

Zebrastar woke up. No, she was dreaming. She was at Fourtrees. There was snow covering the earth, but the trees were thick with green-leaf leaves. The air was a crisp leaf-fall breeze, and it all felt like new-leaf. She padded around the snow for a bit. It wasn't cold. The dream was surprisingly dark. The sky had no clouds, moon, or stars.

"I've come to give you a prophecy." A famaliar voice stated. The tone seemed fake and forced. A string of stifled laughter echoed on the trees.

Zebrastar turned around. The golden tom raced towards her, enveloping her in licks and hugs.

"Father." She purred, rubbing her head on his shoulder.

Densccratch smiled. He had been in Starclan for many moons, but it was only recently that they found that he was murdered.

"No need to tell me about the kits." He laughed.

"Denscratch, you're the worst cat to give a prophecy!"

"The other Starclan cats thought I would be informal." He rolled his eyes.

She hit him in the leg with her paw, "You are!"

"Okay, okay." He resumed a mockingly fake tone. "Endless clouds will forbid the sun. Zebra's kin will save the sky." Denscratch was appearing very serious, though. He was.

Zebrastar woke up in the predawn light. A single cloud was cast over the sun.

"Get Honeysting!" She yowled.


	3. Chapter 2

Honeysting rushed to get to the queen's side. She tripped over the clan cats who were slept in the most inconvenient places.

She had absolutely no herbs in her paws, but her sister began kitting.

"Eh! Meadowpaw, get me some chervil." Honeysting shouted to the nearest apprentice. She mentally slapped herself for forgetting the herbs.

The small white she-cat with ginger blotches ran to the medicine hollow, not knowing what chervil looked like.

''Okay, Zebrastar." She sat down in front of her panting leader. "Breathe in and out. In and out." She shooed the queen's mate away.

Before the tom could argue, Specklefrost dragged him away from the she-cats.

Zebrastar, wincing with each jolt of pain, closed her eyes to shut out the hurt and the rising sun. The blue sky still held stars. More like one star. One Starclan cat's star was watching over her. Meadowpaw was carrying green leaves in her jaw. She set them down by Honeysting's paws. It was not chervil.

''Meado-"

Zebrastar felt the single kit enter the world. The two she-cats licked it and nipped at it. Meadowpaw, who was close to fainting, went to fetch Specklefrost and Zebrastar's mate. The star that was once overhead disappeared in the morning light.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Her mate yapped nonstop at Zebrastar. She tuned him out and groomed and nursed her kit. It was just one small tom. One small kit in one small litter. Specklefrost walked around the camp, boasting about her new grandkit. Eventually, her mate went to get some prey for the both of them. She looked at her kit closely, trying to figure out what his name would be. And the prophecy. This kit was her kin, and 'Zebra's Kin will Save the Sky', according to Starclan.

The kit had a peculiar pelt, like her. He was golden like the sun. Like honey. Like Denscratch. Like the end of her own tail. He had two white-silver stripes on his back. Zebrastar, even though he hadn't opened his eyes yet, knew they'd be bright blue like hers, Spcklefrosts, and Denscratch.

"Okay, my little golden kit..." The queen put her nose onto the tom's own. "What shall we call you? Sunkit? Cloudkit? Goldenkit?"

The tom mewed happily.

"Goldenkit?"

He wiggled his body.

"Okay! It's settled." She nuzzled her child. "You're my little Goldenkit."

Her mate tripped over a branch of gorse, flinging the rabbit towards the queen. She caught it with her unsheathed claws.

Unaware that he just about squished his son with a rabbit, he began to talk again, "Did you think of some names yet?"

The she-cat looked up to her mate, "Yes. Goldenkit."

The kit nodded in agreement.

"That's a great name." Her mate smiled. "Because he is golden?''

"And because of my mentor."Zebrastar added.

The tom nodded in remembrance, "Yes, Goldenfang was a great warrior."

Goldenkit snuggled close to his parents. The air was too cold for him. He buried himself in his mother's fur and fell asleep. He snored. Loudly. Just like his father.

(Note: This is the sequel to the Legend of the Zebra-Striped Kit... I haven't finished tha story yet which is why the deputy, Zebrastar's mate, and a lot of the warriors will be nameless. Kukuku...)


	4. Chapter 3

Zebrastar knew she would not be able to lead her clan to the Gathering. It was only a few days away. She left it up to her deputy to represent the clan. Her kit was almost more important than the clan. She still made sure things were well and that prey was good.

Through a mouthful of rabbit, Zebrastar thought about he prophecy. It couldn't really be about Goldenkit right? Her other kin would be Specklefrost, Honeysting, Spottedwing, and a few others who reside in ShadowClan. Her little kit had yet to open his eyes, but his ears were already filled with the knowledge his clan mates would tell him.

Zebrastar picked up her blind-for-now kit and carried him to the elder's hollow. Honeysting visited frequently as they told Goldenkit stories. The overcast skies hung with moist air and made the elders' joints ache.

Sproutleaf was the former WindClan leader. Her tortiseshell fur was gray and loose with her inclining age. She was an amazing leader. She retired many seasons ago which made Zebrastar leader. Many cats pitied her. In her younger age, she wasn't an attractive she-cat. But it wasn't her looks that made her leader! But her strategic mind and awe-striking skills didn't get her a mate. She never had a mate or kits, but that's probably why she cares so much about them.

"So, Goldenkit, which story would you rather hear?" Sproutleaf thought abut a few good ones. "Ah! How about when Honeysting was made into a medicine cat apprentice?"

Goldenkit mewed.

Sproutleaf chuckled. "Well, you're mother's sister was about seven moons old. And Qua-" The elder stopped and closed her eyes.

"How about how you lost eight of your nine lives as leader?" Zebrastar suggested.

"Ah, yes!"Sproutleaf nodded. "My first life was lost before Zebrastar was even a kit. My newly appointed deputy was Moordash. He's kin with Meadowbreeze, Meadowpaw, and Fieldsprint. Fieldsprint was old when I was an apprentice! Anyway, on our way back from Mothermouth, our medicine cat, whatever his name was, ran ahead to pick something. Moordash put his claws in my throat. I lost my first life. I hurt him badly. Not too much of course! I banished him and he became a rogue or kittpet. Not sure, really." Adrenaline coursed through Sproutleaf. Even a ninety moon old elder could feel like an apprentice when she recalled the good old days.

Goldenkit brushed against Sproutleaf for more. It made the elder so happy! But it was time to go. Later, their former leader would tell the kit how she lost her second life.

Goldenkit was surely supposed to have opened his eyes by now. But he was content with darkness. He could hear every sound and smell better than he should have. Without one of his senses, the rest were sharpened. But his parents were worried.

"Isn't he to have opened his eyes by now?" His father asked the medicine cat with worry.

Honeysting looked down to the kit who was resting by a branch of gorse by his mother. Although the queen was asleep, she knew the kit was awake andlistening. "I am not sure. The half moon is approaching. I will ask the others about him."

"Is there a way to make him open his eyes?" The father asked.

The she-cat chuckled. "For a kit barely old enough to walk, he can hear well and he can smell when you come close. I'm sure he'll open in his own time." Honeysting nodded. "But... if he doesn't soon..."

Goldenkit usually didn't understand a lot of what they said. Buthe could tell which cat was talking. His father was worried about his eyes. His aunt was... worried? Not worried? The kit couldn't tell. He listened to his mother breathe softly as the sun drew closer to the earth.

Out of boredom, he clumsily stood up. He clucked his tongue as he put one paw over the other. Goldenkit walked around the gorse entrance of the nursery. He ambled to the elders' hollow. He seemed to know where each pebble and where each grass sprouted. He walked over to Sproutleaf who was asleep.

"Sproutleaf?" He mewed pushing a paw on her scrawny back.

"Goldenkit?"She raised her head up. Spotting Specklefrost, she meowed, '' I think you're grandkit has wandered off."


	5. Chapter 4

Specklefrost lay on the earth with Goldenkit. She mewed stories to him while his parents took a refreshing stroll in the fields. The grandqueen of Goldenkit was old. Not quite like an elder, though. She felt like she was in an awkward rank of life. She wasn't old to be an elder, but she wasn't young anymore. A senior warrior. Specklefrost would hunt but she felt a little slow. She would fight when the time came. But she couldn't seem to have the same thrill like she used to. It felt so different without her lively mate, Denscratch. She still wasn't used to it.

Goldenkit had his paws crossed. He had his nose pointing to the sky, following a flying bird as it soar across the blue sky. The gorse that grew like a circle around them creaked as the wind brushed through the camp.

"Tell me about StarClan, please." The little tom meowed.

Looking at his closed eyes, she wandered where to start. "StarClan is a place where good cats go. Even if they aren't a clan cat." Specklefrot tipped her head to the sky. "When a cat dies, they join StarClan and become a star of Silverpelt."

"What do Starclan do?" Goldenkit pondered.

"They watch over us and protect. They help us through tough times and help us know of danger and peace ahead." Specklefrost curled her tail around the kit.

"What do they look like?" He asked.

Specklefrost smiled. "They have frost that sparkles at their paws and their eyes glitter like the sun on the river. Their pelts shine like ice."

Goldenkit scrunched up his nose. He wasn't going to be seeing frost or ice until he became an apprentice and at least open his eyes.

The she-cat thought for a moment. "Well, they look like they have stars in their fur."

Goldenkit nodded. Most of the time he slept, he saw a tom sit on a rock during his sleep. He had golden and starry fur. He would let Goldenkit sit by him. They didn't talk. They just looked at trees and watched leaves tumble around until Goldenkit saw darkness again and heard his mother calling to him.

Zebrastar and her mate came back to the patch of gorse. Goldenkit blinked his eyes open. They all smiled at him.

His bright blue eyes sparkled. They looked just like the cat's eyes that he saw in his sleep.

His mother was white with black stripes. She wasn't tabby, hough. Her eyes were a beauty blue, too. She had a yellow-tipped tail that didn't fit the rest of her body. "He's a late bloomer! But look at those jewels!''

"His eyes are like the Moonstone!" Specklefrost cooed.

Goldenkit turned his head around to look at everything. The green gorse, the ginger earth, the blue sky.

* * *

Zebrastar sat upon the sandy mound above her Clanmates.

"All cats old enough to chase a rabbit come forth to the sand mound!" Her voice rang. After the Clan cats gathered a around for a meeting, she began to speak once more. Her voice sunded prideful as she began. "Goldenkit, you have reached he age of six moons, and it is time for you to become an apprentice. From this day on, until you recive you warrior name, you will ne known as Goldenpaw."

Goldenpaw brought his paws to walk to the base of the mound below his leader. He quickly and shyly scanned the crowd for who his mentor would be.

"Your mentor will be Jaywing. I hope that he will pass down all he knows to you."

She gestured with her tail for Jaywing to join his apprentice at the mound. He slipped through the crowd to Goldenpaw. He looked over his shoulder to Lacepool, his mate. She gave him an encouraging wink. But it did strike it as odd that this was his first apprentice. Even his own kits were apprentices now. He sat stiffly by his new apprentice.

"Jaywing, I know Goldenpaw will be your first apprentice you have ever had, despite that you are even older than me." Zebrastar had a slight note of playfullness in her voice. "You are ready for an apprentice now. I know that Gentlevoice trained you well, and you have shown that you have patience and compassion. You will mentor Goldenpaw," she stared at both of them lomg and hard before continuing, "and I expect that you will teach him everything you know."

Hesitantly, the two toms touched noses. Jaywing pulled his nose back and looked over to Lacepool and the three apprentices that stood by her. Gooldenpaw hadn't realized Jaywing was no longer pressing his nose on him,, for he had his eyes closed. The little tom fell forward into his mentor's chest fur.

"Patience and compassion." Zebrastar chuckled and went down by her son.

"Mother," Goldenpaw looked up at her, "I mean Zebrastar... Can I hear one more nursery story before I go to the other apprentices?"

"Very well, son." She smiled.

"How about my grandather?" Goldenpaw suggested.

Zebrastar cringed. Denscratch died a long time ago. Specklefrost and Zebrastar never really mentioned him before. Goldenpaw must have guessed that if Specklefrost was still a warror (a super senior warrior), then Denscratch had not disappeared of old age.

* * *

Goldenpaw thought about the strong and able warrior he used to visit in his dreams. A big golden tom with eyes bluer than the sky and brighter than the sun. He had died because a bad cat gave him poisouness herbs. This warrior was also once a kittypet. Goldenpaw felt odd to have kittypet blood.

He followed Jaywing over to a bed of gorse where a pawful of sand served as an exclusive spot for the apprentices to sleep. He felt ntimidated by te sheer numbers of a apprentices that were bigger, stronger, andolder than him.

A lean she-cat with a white pelt and big patches of light ginger padded over tohim. "Welcome, Goldenpaw. I am Meadowpaw. This is where we appentices sleep." She swept her tail around, gesturing to the three walls of gorse that made up a den-like plae for them.

"Sootpaw's the name." A gray tom stepped forward. "Meadowpaw is my sister. These are my brothers." He pointed his tàil to two brawing toms.

A white one with black paws barely looked at him. "Clawpaw."

"Branchpaw." The brown one grunted as Clawpaw pinned him down.

"Hello." Goldenpaw replied to them all shyly.

"Hey, Goldenpaw!" A gray she-cat with darker flecks padded in with two other she-cats. "I'm Nightpaw. Jaywing is my father."

"Ours too!" A ginger-ash colored she-cat muttered.

Another she-cat that looked like the ginger-ash one rolled her eyes.

Nightpaw pointed to the one who spoke. "That's my sister, Scarletpaw." She tipped her head to the second one. "That's Spottedpaw."

"'Cause of my white spots." Spottedpaw said, revealing a series of white spots on her belly.

"Nice..." Goldenpaw was eager to go back to the nursery and wait another moon or two.

"Well, we made a nest for you. You might as well sleep in it." Spottedpaw told him.

Goldenpaw nodded. He looked up at Silverpelt before looking back at the bossy she-cat.


	6. Chapter 5

Goldenpaw slept uncomfortably in his new nest. It was twice the size of him so it left him feeling cold on one side of his stars of Silverpelt were dim as wispy rain clouds brushed moist breeze chilled him even more.

The snoring of the toms (and Nightpaw as well) rustled the branches of the gorse that closed them in. The new apprentice flipped over onto his back trying to find a more comfortable position. Upside down, he saw warriors sleeping here and there in a dip of sand or under boughs of gorse.

He sighed. Oh, what he would give to have stayed in the nursery! Sure, it was just a small patch of gorse like this, but it was dry under the boughs and warm with his mother. Goldenpaw flicked his ear as Scarletpaw cleared her throat.

"Might as well sleep in it." She told him, mocking her sister, Spottedpaw.

Goldenpaw tilted his head. "I guess so."

The ashen-ginger she-cat rolled her eyes. Her tail rippled in amusement as her sister Nightpaw slept with her eyes half-open, reaveling icy blue eyes that glowed in the moonlight.

Goldenpaw didn't find it funny. Just plain creepy.

"So, how do you like being an apprentice?" Scarletpaw asked him, not lowering her voice for the sleeping cats.

"I don't know yet." Golenpaw shrugged, rolling into a tight ball. "Maybe tomorrow I'll decide."

"What? Are you a kit still in your kitten fluff?!" Scartletpaw asked him coldly. "All kits can't wait to be apprentices!"

He just shrugged his shoulders. He knew he could still talk with Sproutleaf, the elder, as well as his father, and his grandmother, but not so much his mother. Zebrastar had more things to do than play with her apprenticed kit. So even though he could talk to those cats even as an apprentice, it wouldn't be the same now.

"I'm surprised." Scarletpaw said aloud. She pulled the dirt out from her claws as if sleep didn't matter to apprentices. "I'm surprised that you don't get made fun of."

"What?" Goldenpaw lifted his head and turned towards the she-cat.

"You have kittypet blood." She said blaintly.

"And my kin are highly respected." He pointed out.

It was true. Zebrastar was naturally respected as leader. Honeysting, even through rough times, became an honorable medicine cat. Specklefrost was a great warrior back in her younger seasons. Denscratch was a kittypet, but he was a good fighter when it came to it.

"Spottedwing!" She hissed trying to score a telling point. Goldenpaw didn't know who that was. "Specklefrost's sister! She lives in ShadowClan (unless she's dead now)." Scarletpaw added.

"So? If she decided to leave WindClan for ShadowClan and hasn't come back, then she must be happy." Goldenpaw retorted before settling down in the nest of dry grass with his back turned.

"You're just a kit with kitten fluff." She said before the rest of her harsh words were drowned out by snoring.

* * *

Goldenpaw finally slept a dreamless sleep. He awoke to a fat rain drop splashing on his nose. The golden apprentice sat up in his nest drowsily. The lacy mist of dawn coated his pelt in chilling dew. He licked his chest fur. Was he really covered in kitten fluff?

He licked his fuzzy coat to flatten it down and rid of the water on his fur. He looked around, and only a few stars twinkled in the sky, but the moon hadn't gone down completely and the sun had yet to peek over the moors.

He slipped out of the gorse patch quietly, trying to not awake the still-sleeping apprentices. Goldenpaw padded softly over the sand dotted with morning drizzle to the prey pile.

It was full of rabbit and quail. He pulled out a small bird and dragged it to where he could sit out of the dawning rain.

A senior warrior named Thornslope slept lightly and flicked his ears as Goldenpaw self-conciously took bites out of the bird.

He licked his muzzle as he looked aroun the camp. Zebrastar was washing her fur as she began to awaken. The leader looked up at him and smiled. She padded over to him and grabbed a rabbit.

"Thornslope was a senior warrior when I was an apprentice." She whispered.

Goldenpaw looked at the dry-grass-colored tabby who laid his ears flat. Zebrastar purred as she took big bites out of the prey.

"So, Mo-" Goldenpaw corrected himself. "Zebrastar... Do apprentices go to the Moonstone?"

She nodded. "Yes. Jaywing will take you there later this moon I'm sure. The other apprentices have gone before, but I'm sure they' like to tag along."

"Okay, thank you." Goldenpaw dipped his head in thanks and respect.

The sun began to peek through the mist and rain of the moorland. Jaywing and Lacepool emerged from their dip of sand. They walked to the prey pile with tail entwined. They took a very plump and delicious looking rabbit to share. Zebrastar brushed her tail over her son's shoulder and went to speak with the deputy. Lacepool spoke into her mate's ear and went towards the gorse where the apprentices slept. Jaywing walked towards his apprentice.

"Well, we'll be going on the dawn patrol, so I can show the territory to you." Jaywing said shakily.

"Are you okay?" Goldenpaw asked, brushing his tail over the tom's shoulder like his mother had down to him.

Jaywing gave him a crooked smile. "I've never had an apprentice."

"I've never had a mentor." He replied softly.

The apprentices were ushered into the open. They had slept in. The warriors were already sharing tongues and enjoying a rabbit.

Through the light mist, the mentor and apprentice heard Lacepool order the apprentices. "All of you are to stay here and help out."

"Like what?" A low voice, most likely Branchpaw's, asked.

Lacepool looked at each of the many apprentices. "Meadowpaw, Nightpaw, Spottedpaw, and Scarletpaw will bring prey to the elders and the senior warriors who are still asleep."

The she-cat apprentices smiled, knowing they got the better end of the tail on this punishment.

"Clawpaw, Branchpaw, and Sootpaw, you will be cleaning the elders' pelts." A certain gray tortieshell she-cat meowed, taking the words right of Lacepool's jaws.

"That's right, Sproutleaf." The lean she-cat nodded.

The three toms groaned as they began to walk slowly towards the badger den that Honeysting stored her herbs.

"It looks like Goldenpaw is the only one who can wake up at dawn." Lacepool laughed, trotting back to the two toms. Goldenpaw's whiskers quivered in amusement.

Scarletpaw had said he was still a kit! But he was the only one not cleaning ticks. He had waken up before them all.

"Is it like this everyday?" He asked his mentor's mate.

"Most of the time." The she-cat nodded. "They don't eat until sunhigh sometimes."

They looked up at their deputy as he jumped up onto the sand mound. "Jaywing, Goldenpaw, Bubblebounce, Thornslope, and Sandstep will be on border patrol."

* * *

The five toms gathered at the edge of the camp.

Goldenpaw looked at each of them curiously. Bubblebounce was definantly living up to his name. Though he seemed a couple seasons older than Zebrastar, he was bubbly and bouncy. He was Nightpaw's mentor, which made total sense. They were very similar. The blue tom didn't seem very WindClan-e to him. The tom wasn't very fast and his rump was a little big and his body just wasn't wind-flat.

Sandstep was about the same age as his leader. This tom was quiet, sensible, and didn't seem jumpy like Jaywing. His eyes were hollow with loss. His mate, Meadowbreeze, had died when his kits were only a moon old. His kits were the three tom apprentices plus Meadowpaw. He mentored Spottedpaw, most likely because he could calm her attitude.

Goldenpaw knew Sandstep's brother had Thornslope as his mentor. Thornslope was a tabby tom, not dark brown like Branchpaw, but not golden or sandy like him and Sandstep. He didn't know if the tom had a mate or kits, but he suspected that he did. Thornslope was Scarletpaw's mentor, not to Goldenpaw's surpise.

They trotted towards the ThunderClan border. Jaywing suggested that they renew the scent markers.

"What are scent markers?" Goldenpaw asked, opening his jaws to pick up any traces of ThunderClan.

Bubblebounce, who twitched with excitement at every blade of grass that danced in the breeze, turned around to explain it to him. "Scent markers are-"

Thornslope slapped the blue tom's muzzle with his tail. "He'll figure it out when we need to."

Goldenpaw shivered.

They walked through the mist, so if any ThunderClan had trespassed, the lacy dew would have covered up their scent. Along the border, Bubblebounce arched his back and his tail quivered. Goldenpaw looked away, now knowing what a scent marker was.

They continued along the border without sight or scent of ThunderClan. Goldenpaw kept looking up at his mentor who would glance down uncertainlly at him.

Thornslope slowed his pace to whisper in the apprentice's ear. "When Jaywing was a new warrior, Honeysting would rip off his fur. He's been as nervous as a rabbit in a tree since then."

Goldenpaw nodded with a stifled mrrow of laughter. They circled back towards camp, passing by a patrol of other warriors who went to patrol the RiverClan border.

Thornslope bounded over to the deputy and leader. "No trace of ThunderClan in our territory."

Zebrastar nodded. "Why don't you all take your apprentices on a hunting patrol?"

The big tabby tom agreed.

The patrol Jaywing, Thornslope, Bubblebounce and Goldenpaw walked over to the hollow where the elders slept. Branchpaw lightly hissed as he pushed a small wad of moss soaked in mouse bile onto Hookclaw's pelt. Goldenpaw never noticed how ragged the she-cat was. He had heard that Hookclaw was the oldest cat in the forest. She was an elder even when Sproutleaf was leader!

"She's over one hundred moons old." Jaywing whispered, pouting his tail at the gaunt brown cat.

Her tail was short like a rabbit's, but not at all fluffy. Her ears were worn down by the ages and sat lopsided and round like a mouse's. Her eyes were shining with youth but the circles around them were dark. Her fur was patchy, more bare spots than not! Goldenpaw knew she always had a great story to tell.

"Yes, and the zebra-striped warrior took the deputy's life as she was about to take away mine. Who knew that the sweet and small deputy, Treeshade, would try to take over the forest and moors?" Hookclaw was retelling a popular story. "Treeshade wasn't above killing elders I suppose." She sighed.

"She took away Silvertooth's life." Sproutleaf added.

Silvertooth was Goldenfang's brother as well as Twofur's brother. Twofur was Lacepool's mother and Zebrastar's original mentor.

"Yes. And a new deputy was to be appointed in the heat of battle." Hookclaw continued.

"I couldn't choose any warrior except Zebrastar." Sproutleaf smiled at Goldenpaw.

"Zebrastar's name at the time was Zebra-"

"Sorry for interupting, Hookclaw." Thornslope bowed. "But the apprentices are needed for hunting."

The toms abandonded the hollow and raced towards the hunting grounds. Thornslope tackled them. "Not without washing!" He hissed.

Bubblebounce laughed and went to find the she-cat apprentices. Goldenpaw and Jaywing looked at each other and laughed. "I'll show you the hunting ways of WindClan. But we should meet the other pairs at the stream." Jaywing left his apprentice to find his mate. Goldenpaw mewed a goodbye to the elders and went to find the stream. He knew where it was since he had to drink from it during greenleaf when it was most hot and he was still a kit.

The leafall mist was hardly a wisp as the sun warmed the moors. He groomed his fur quickly before leaving the camp to find the stream. Zebrastar watched him while sitting with Specklefrost.

The white warrior with black spots and blue eyes watched him leave. "When are you going to tell him?"

"Mother, he is a day-old apprentice." Zebrastar explained. "Clouds will forbid the sun... Zebra's kin will save the sky..."

"No doubt the prophecy is about him." Specklefrost watched the golden apprentice head towards the Slowstream.

"What does it mean?" Zebrastar begged to know. She looked up at the morning sky where no StarClan warriors twinkled.


	7. Chapter 6

Goldenpaw followed the crisp scent of water that flowed in the Slowstream. The stream cut a small scar in the territory. It was close to camp, so when dew on the gorse wasn't enough, the Clan would drink from here.

The Slowstream didn't have fast or strong current. The smallest rabbit could be dropped in the water and it wouldn't move a tail-length because the stream was so slow.

Clawpaw, Branchpaw, and Sootpaw were about to dunk their paws in the stream when Thornslope batted at their heads with his huge and powerful paw.

"You should know better than to wash bile here!" The tabby scolded them. "Go farther downstream where you won't taint the drinking water."

Goldenpaw heard Branchpaw hiss. The three toms scurried farther down the stream.

"Hey!" Nightpaw and Spottedpaw trampled over the grass towards Goldenpaw.

"Quiet, Spottedpaw." Sandstep said emotionless as he walked quietly towards the bunch. "You might scare off the prey."

"Right, sorry." Spottedpaw nodded.

Meadowpaw and Pinknose came trotting over. Goldenpaw didn't have to take much to time to notice that the white she-cat with a pink nose was the tabby tom's mate.

Meadowpaw purred as she watched her mentor stand by Thornslope.

Scarletpaw and Bubblebounce joined them. The ashen-ginger she-cat took her place by Thornslope as well. Nightpaw rubbed her muzzle on the blue tom's neck.

Finally, a ginger tom, a gray she-cat, and mottle gray tom padded over. Jaywing pointed to the she-cat. "That's Mothtail." He lifted his tail in direction of the gray tom. "That's Figleaf."

Before he could tell Goldenpaw who the ginger was, he said it first. "I know him. He's Bladefang."

Bladefang, one of Zebrastar's kithood friends along with Sandstep. Their green eyes and light ginger pelts were unmistakebly brotherly. Bladefang gestured for Clawpaw to come back with a tail rippled and a call.

"Clawpaw! Get your tail back over here!" The white apprentice groaned as his mentor called him back over. "You're dripping wet!" Bladefang noticed. "You were supposed to wash not swim."

"But Soot-"

"I don't want to hear it." The large ginger nuzzled his apprentice.

Sootpaw and Branchpaw loped towards the large group of mentor/apprentice pairs. Branchpaw's fur practically held an entire river! He sat down and cleaned his fur by Figleaf. Sootpaw, dry and eyes gleaming with psuedo-innocence, rubbed Mothtail's shoulder with his ash-colored tail.

Goldenpaw felt small. He was small afterall. The youngest cat in the entire Clan was bound to be small than the older apprentices and the warriors.

"Okay, let's split up into two patrols." Thornslope suggested.

The warriors murmered in agreement.

"Mothtail, Sandstep, Jaywing, and Bubblebounce. You four and your apprentices go to the Outlook Rock. Figleaf, Pinknose, Bladefang, and I an our apprentices will hunt by the abandoned badger set." Thornslope instructed.

Sixteen cats on a hunting patrol seemed a bit much to Goldenpaw. But, the prey pile was a bit low. Sproutleaf had once told Goldenpaw that WindClan has grown into a big Clan that ShadowClan could fear. The eight cats walked briskly to Outlook Rock. A quail was unaware of the many cats' presence as it primmed its feathers. Mothtail crouched down. The other warriors followed suit, so the apprentices did, too.

"Go ahead, Goldenpaw." The tawny she-cat mewed.

Goldenpaw nodded. He felt the eyes of his Clanmates on his fur. He sprang fowards onto the tall rock. He caught the bird by the tail feathers. Both cat and quail fell back down to the earth. Goldenpaw attemtped to make a killing bite on it, but instead he pulled all the tail feathers of the poor creature. The others watched in amusement. Goldenpaw's ears burned. He let the bird go. It tried to fly off, but without its feathers it could only squawk and make pitiful leaps. Goldenpaw finally pounced on it and bit its neck.

"Good job, Goldenpaw." Jaywing praised him.

"Maybe we should all practice the Zebra Back-Kick?" Sandstep suggested.

The warriors mewed in agreement.

They rounded the rock. A few rabbits in the distance hopped around lazily. Jaywing kneaded the grass. He shot off towards one with striking speed. The tom seperated one of the rabbits from the others. He pounced on the rabbit with outstretched claws. Jaywing hadn't killed it yet. Mothtail padded over to him.

"This is the Zebra Back-Kick." The small gray she-cat said.

Jaywing lifted his paw up and the rabbit sped away. It was a big rabbit, too. It would make Mothtail's demonstration easier. She chased after it, going fairly slowly. The apprentices watched intently, the older ones already knowing how to do it. Mothtail grabbed onto its fur and flung herself backwards. Her hind paws kicked its head, so it was momentarily stunned.

After giving it the killing bite, Mothtail spoke. "It makes the struggle for us easier."

Then the two warriors joined the other two. With a quick nod made by Sandstep, the four apprentices raced towards the rabbits. Spottedpaw landed on one but she ended up sprawled on its back not being able to do anything. Sootpaw caught the other rabbit and was succesful in stunning it and giving it the final bite. Nightpaw tried to help her sister kill the last rabbit.

Goldenpaw looked over to the warriors who were watching them intently. Bubblebounce was on his back mrrow-ing in amusement. Their racket must have made all the other rabbits retreat into their dens, so Goldenpaw listened through the laughs and the yowls to find any prey that might be hiding. To his right was the tiny rustle of grass. He crouched down like he had for the quail. Then he pounced. The little field mouse dropped its seed and scurried away, but the apprentice caught it with his paw.

The patrol ambeled back to camp with the few rabbits, the quail, and the mouse. The second patrol came back with prey, too. The sun was high up in the sky now. The morning mist was completely lifted from the moors. Jaywing and Goldenpaw trained in the open fields. They practiced combat and retreat.

* * *

The next few moons went by fast. Goldenpaw grew out of his kitten fluff. He became used to the horrid snoring in the gorse patch every night, so he slept soundly.

The forest was at peace for now, though ThunderClan and ShadowClan began to have more and more border squirmeshes.

The moors were slick and muddy from the leafall rains. The prey was still running fair in the Clan's territory. The grass began to brown and the gorse grew crispy. Goldenpaw had yet to go to the Moonstone with Jaywing. The weather was a bit dangerous to make the travel there safely.

The golden apprentice continued to train. He was average in fighting and hunting. The only problem was that he couldn't flex his claws properly. In fact, it just made fighting and hunting harder for him. But Zebrastar and Jaywing knew that he would figure it out, even though kit's knew how to do that better than him, he was sure to get a hang of it.

Goldenpaw went to the Gatherings. He always stayed by Jaywing's side, though. The other apprentices of the Clans were daunting to him. Until his fourth Gathering, though

* * *

"The sky is cloudy, but it won't rain." Jaywing told his apprentice while flicking mud off his paw.

"Yes." Goldenpaw agreed. He opened his jaws to drink in the scent of the air. The ground was moist but the sky was clear.

"We'll head for the Moonstone tonight." Jaywing told him.

"Really?" The golden tom asked excitedly. He had been waiting to speak with his anscestors for awhile now. Especially Denscratch! The golden tom had stopped walking in his dreams since he became an apprentice.

"Really." Jaywing touched his tail to his apprentice's shoulder.

"The other apprentices won't be tagging along either."

Goldenpaw nodded. He rarely spent any time without the apprentices on his tail.

Honeysting carried some herbs over to them. "Eat these before you leave." She brushed her tail over Goldenpaw's face and padded away towards the elders' hollow to tend to their aching joints.

* * *

Goldenpaw licked his chest fur after he lapped up each tasteless leaf of Honeysting's herb.

The moon was slowly clawing up the sky and Silverpelt began to shine. Jaywing loped over to him. A small lacy mist began to settle over the moors.

"We better get going." The tom said. So, they set off.

Goldenpaw and Jaywing wove through the stalks of grass and followed the Slowstream. The two walked silently as the night grew darker. They had finally began to trust each other. They talked more openly and less nervously. But silence was nice, too.

Finally, Slowstream ended and was feeding a hole in the earth. Only a small kit would be able to fall down there, though, and be trapped forever. Goldenpaw wondered where the tunnel would lead if one did fall through. They continued on, following a particularly starry streak in the sky.

Goldenpaw's paws were aching, but not as bad as the apprentices from other Clans. They had to travel through the whole forest to get to Highstones. "I'm glad WindClan is so close to StarClan." Goldenpaw mewed, looking up at Silverpelt throuh the mist.

"Me, too." Jaywing agreed.

They continued to weave through scattered rocks and lengthy grass until they came upon the Thunderpath. They took a deep breath and shot across its burning and rank surface. Goldenpaw felt uncomrfortable with the hard and scraggly earth of Highstones under his paws.

"The Mothermouth is just ahead." Jaywing assured him.

They climbed up the ridge and came to the opening of Mothermouth. Darkness welcomed them as Jaywing led his apprentice down the tunnel. Their whiskers brushed against the moist, smooth walls. Goldenpaw heard whispers echo in the walls. In the walls...

Goldenpaw prayed that it was StarClan he was hearing.

He bumped into his mentor. Although they couldn't see, they could feel two tunnels branching out before them. "Grab my tail." Jaywing rasped as he decided on which tunnel to go through.. Goldenpaw lightly held the tom's tail in his mouth. They went down the tunnel to the left. The echos grew quieter and the walls were rough and scraggy. Jaywing backed up until they were at the fork once more. The took the right path, which turned out to be right. Goldenpaw kept shivering. The Mothermouth gave him an eery feeling. He kept hearing voices: The sky. The sky. The sky.

Finally, the most beautiful thing he had ever seen sat before him. The Moonstone. "Go on and touch your nose to it." Jaywing flicked his tail. Goldenpaw approuched it, happy to be out of the dark and dank tunnel. The Moonstone seemed to hold all of Silverpelt in one spot. It was purple like twilight and seemed to be pulling him closer.

Jaywing crouched down and fell asleep upon touching nose to rock. Goldenpaw did the same. He woke up at Fourtrees.

There was white stuff on the ground. It was fluffy and stuck to his paws. He jumped onto the Great Rock to get out of it. The great oaks were lush and bright green. The air was sweet and moist. But the sour smell of leafall was present as well. It was all as if the four seasons were clashing.

Goldenpaw turned around to see Denscratch. "Hello, Goldenpaw!" He beamed.

The golden tom joined the golden apprentice on the rock.

"Denscratch." Goldenpaw dipped his head in respect.

"Look, kit." Denscratch held his paw up to his grandkit's cheek. "The clouds will forbid the sun. Zebra's kin will save the sky."

The bright and sunny sky turned dark. Fourtrees became swallowed up in black. The shining and glimmering tom disappaited into the darkness. The siloheautes of the four oaks were looking down at him with a deathly presence. A pair of blank, white, and glowing eyes stared down at him from the deathly heights of the top of one of the oaks.

Then specks of gold began to glow. The dream world lit up once more as a path of golden specks dotted the trees and earth. A shiver of relief and shock and fear ran though Goldenpaw before he woke up.

Jaywing yawned. "Have a nice dream?"

"Yes, thank you." Goldenpaw wasn't actually sure. The dream was rather unnerving to him. Scary actually! "How about you?"

"Just about my family and I hunting endless rabbits." He laughed and shrugged.


End file.
